haddingtons menu & drink tasting

A big Thank You to Cat and Paula at Crave for inviting Meggie and me to the new menu tasting last night at Haddingtons, which showcased the offerings from their new Executive Chef James Corwell. We had a great time and got to meet and converse with a lot of nice people (all food and beer geeks of course). Check out the menu below.

I want to throw out a big kudos to the servers and bartenders of the evening (especially the bartenders). They were seriously work horses behind that bar, serving up those classic cocktails with absolute precision. The classics demand a lot of attention, like burning the zest of an orange just for aromatic purposes.

The first drink I had was the Moscow Mule, which is made with vodka and a house made ginger beer. Meggie had a glass of their house made ginger beer by itself. It was actually quite refreshing, and their ginger beer wasn't too overpowering like some can be.

Moscow Mule

Our first appetizer of the evening was the Gougere. It was OK. I didn't get a lot of Parmesan flavor, but the black pepper was really evident.  I guess I was expecting a little more saltiness from the Parmesan.

Gougere

While I was at the bar waiting for a drink, Meggie got to try the fried green tomatoes with the chili soy dipping sauce. I didn't get to try it, but she said it was one of her favorites of the evening.

It was worth it though, because I came back with a tall glass of an Avery White Rascall, yum.

Next up was their Agua Fresca. This was an unbelievably refreshing little tease of a drink.

Agua Fresca

This tuna tartare appetizer was nice and light but very flavorful. However, Meggie and I both agreed that the cucumber was a little too thick, and eventually overpowered the delicateness of the tuna.

Tuna Tartare

The next two tastings were my favorites of the evening. First is the Jellied Duck Consomme. Surprisingly, the melon wasn't crunchy, but still gave a nice contrasting texture to the duck. I love sweet and salty combinations, and this one delivered.

Jellied Duck Consomme

This little lamb, who I will now name George, was placed in between what I described as a crispy cream puff. One of my favorites of the night.

Lamb Merguez

The Foie Gras meatball was OK. Not a lot of texture, but the little sour cherry on top gave some nice contrast in flavors.

The Duck Liver Mousse was really nice. We both loved it, especially with the little apple salad on top.

Duck & Foie Gras Meatball

Duck Liver Mousse

 

I ended the evening with their Milk Punch, which apparently is brought at the end of the meal for every Haddington's patron.

Milk Punch